Kuchar sits T-2, looking forward to Hawaii vacation

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KAPALUA, Hawaii – It’s no secret that some elite players simply don’t want to make the trip to Hawaii each year. Matt Kuchar is one who doesn’t want to leave.

The world’s seventh-ranked player will follow this week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions by competing in the Sony Open, then plans to stay on the Big Island of Hawaii for an extended month-long vacation with his family.

“We love it here,” Kuchar explained. “We went for a week last year and we had such a good time. I took a look at my schedule – I needed kind of a mini-break; I have played a lot in October, November, December, so I was looking for a mini-break and just said, 'Well, we're over in Hawaii, let's just stay there and enjoy ourselves.’”

If things go according to plan over the next 36 holes, he might have an extra passenger for the trip – a new trophy.

Opening rounds of 68-68 have Kuchar in a share of second place, three strokes behind leader Zach Johnson.

“It's the halfway point and I've posted two nice scores,” he said. “Looks like I'm not too far off the lead, so that's a good thing [but] there's a lot of guys still in this.”